
"Becoming friends is the responsibility of two people. Let’s look for the right way together."
— Cang Shu
She Is Still Cute Today (今天的她也是如此可爱, Jīntiān de tā yěshì rúcǐ kěài)is a Chinese Yuri Manhua. It is written and drawn by Guo Si Te and is published by KuaiKan Manhua.
Cang Shu is a popular and very intelligent 16-year-old high school student. When rumors begin to fly and Cang Shu lies to save face, that gets her tangled with Qi Lin and the two form a friendship that grows into something more.
She Is Still Cute Today provides examples of:
- Absurdly Divided School: Implied to be of the Grade-based variant. This isn't spelled out, mainly because this is the norm in high schools in China. Judging from the fact that Cang Shu and Cui Xin are in Class A while Qi Lin is in Class G, it is likely that classes are divided by grades alone, with the best students in Class A and the worst in Class G.
- The Ace: Both Cang Shu and Cui Xin fit into this archetype. Both are popular students with high test marks who are looked up to by their fellow classmates.
- Adorably Precocious Child: Despite being several years younger than her classmates, Du Mian is one of the top students in Ying Cai.
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: In Chapter 3, Cang Shu is compelled to pat Qi Lin’s head after they shake hands and become friends. She definitely deserves it.
- Ahem: Cang Shu fakes a cough when two students are gossiping about her and Cui Xin right in front of her.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Cang Shu, hands down. She's the top student of her grade and a detached school beauty. Boys from other classes want nothing more than to see her in person.
- Ambiguously Absent Parent: Cang Shu's father never makes an appearance in the series except for a brief flashback.
- Anger Born of Worry: Cang Shu loses her temper with Qi Lin after the latter tries to jump out of the window even though Qi Lin points out they’re on the ground floor and Cang Shu tells herself to calm down.
- Animal Motifs:
- In the beginning, when the girls continue to hound Cang Shu about her relationship with Cui Xin, they all are visualized as cats and Cang Shu becomes a hamster. She is consistently portrayed as one in later chapters too.
- Qi Lin is a dog, specifically a Samoyed. She fully appears as a dog in Cang Shu’s mind meeting and sprouts ears in real life when she snaps Cang Shu out of her Imagine Spot.
- Jian Feng Feng is a rabbit, befitting for a pink-haired girl with twintails.
- Wang Hang's represented by a shiba dog. Cui Xin, on the other hand, is a bat.
- Yu Nan Zui occasionally appears as a brown bear.
- Du Mian is a fennec fox with golden fur.
- Anonymous Benefactor: The mascot tries to be this to Cang Shu, but it is way too obvious to be anonymous.
- Beat Them at Their Own Game: When class C mocks Mr. Tang, class G's beloved intern teacher, they challenge class C to defend Mr. Tang's honor.Class G: With Mr. Tang teaching our class, we can easily surpass class C on our monthly exams!
- Despite their efforts, class G's average grade is still way below class C's. This is to be expected, as class C has been working hard since the beginning of the year, while class G has only started to be serious on their studies recently. Still, they win the deal, as Mr. Tang is given the "Excellent Intern Teacher" title for the efforts he put into teaching class G.Class C's intern teacher: He did beat me after all.
- Despite their efforts, class G's average grade is still way below class C's. This is to be expected, as class C has been working hard since the beginning of the year, while class G has only started to be serious on their studies recently. Still, they win the deal, as Mr. Tang is given the "Excellent Intern Teacher" title for the efforts he put into teaching class G.
- Beyond the Impossible: To get 4 out of 150 on the Senior Entrance Exam isn’t really possible. Cang Shu guesses even if you pick C for every question you will probably get higher than four.
- Bickering Couple, Peaceful Couple: Cang Shu and Qi Lin are sweet and affectionate all the time, while Cui Xin and Wang Hang always seem to bicker when they're in the same spot. The bickering is mostly one-sided on Cui Xin's side, though.
- Big Eater: Wang Hang and Qi Lin have a big appetite along with great physical strength. In a side chapter, it's revealed that the lunch Wang Hang takes is always insufficient for his appetite. Cui Xin has to take more food so that the other wouldn't get hungry.
- Big Man on Campus: Cui Xin is handsome, gentle, incredibly smart, and is one of the two most popular students beside Cang Shu.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Bai Lian seems like a nice, friendly, caring girl on the surface. In truth, she's a mean, selfish bully who manipulates and gaslights people with her words.
- Bluff Worked Too Well: How the story begins. Cang Shu said she was interested in Qi Lin without knowing who she was or that she was right behind her. Qi Lin suffers from low self-esteem so hearing someone say they were interested in her really made her happy.
- Boarding School: The unnamed school the cast attends is a boarding school, with some storylines happening in the dorms. This is Truth in Television; many parents prefer this kind of school for their children simply it gives more time for cramming (see Training from Hell's Real Life page for details).
- Book Smart: Cang Shu getting top marks on an examination is met with awe, but noted that is usual for her.
- Cassandra Truth: When Cang Shu tells her classmates she “isn’t interested in those boys”, they don’t buy it even though she’s being honest.
- Cheery Pink: Jian Feng Feng is a loud, talkative and cheerful pink-haired girl.
- Childhood Friend Romance: The "Unlucky Childhood Friend" variant. Jiang Feng Feng has a crush on Cui Xin, who's been her friend since they were children. He is aware of her feelings and subtly turns down her romantic advancements because he only sees her as a close friend.
- Coming-of-Age Queer Romance: The story mainly focus on Cang Shu and Qi Lin's wacky romance, but also features the ordeals of growing up. Heavy subjects, like bullying, domestic abuse, diet culture, and the pressure of gender normativity make its appearance here and there too.
- Crack Defeat: Class G gives the best Tai Chi performance, yet class A, the one that didn't even practice for it, get the prize. Cang Shu decides to fix it herself by giving class G the gold medal.
- Cuteness Proximity: Qi Lin's Puppy-Dog Eyes makes Cang Shu unable to act harsh. Most of the time, she just sighs and gives in to comfort Qi Lin.
- Domestic Abuse: Both Qi Lin and Cang Shu went through this during their childhood.
- Qi Lin was born from a misogynistic household who only wants to have a son to carry their legacy. She's neglected and verbally abused since a young age, and has to witness her parents' constant arguments. It's implied that she also suffered from physical abuse quite regularly.
- While Cang Shu's mother is not a bad person, her actions still count as domestic abuse. She forces Cang Shu to study day and night, even punishing her physically when she can't fulfill her mother's expectation. Her controlling behavior is the reason why Cang Shu was isolated from her peer until she meets Qi Lin.
- Dumb Jock: Wang Hang and Qi Lin are both excellent athletes. The former isn't dumb academically-wise, but his simple mind makes him a tactless, naive guy most of the time. The latter ranks first from bottom to top on the entrance exam, scoring merely 4/150 on math.
- Establishing Character Moment: Cui Xin sees Cang Shu pat Qi Lin’s head at the end of Chapter 3 and is overcome with emotion.Cui Xin: I saw it. Ha…ha…haha…I saw it…God bless this marvelous friendship between girls!
- F--: Qi Lin gets a 4/150 on the mathematics part of her entrance exam, which is so unbelievable it makes Cang Shu remember her even though she usually doesn’t pay attention to her classmates.
- Forgotten First Meeting: Cang Shu and Qi Lin met each other once as children during a contest. Cang Shu gave Qi Lin a cube of rubik, which became her precious treasure from then on. She doesn't realize it was Cang Shu who gave her the cube, though.
- "Freaky Friday" Flip: In one chapter, Cang Shu, Qi Lin, Wang Hang and Cui Xin swap body after watching a movie. It turns out to be Qi Lin's dream at the end.
- Friendship Moment: Cang Shu decides to stick with Qi Lin after all and removing a leaf from her shoulder.
- Gamer Chick: One of Qi Lin's defining trait is that she's exceptionally good at games. She even got proclaimed as the school's boss in middle school for her excellent gaming skills. Cang Shu came to the conclusion that she's a genius when it comes to physical activities.
- Genki Girl: Qi Lin is an upbeat and hyperactive girl who frequently acts and speaks as she chooses.
- Ghost in the Machine: When Qi Lin gives a box of milk to Cang Shu she internally panics and inside her mind, little hamsters in her mind tries to figure out what to do.
- Good Samaritan: The mascot in the early chapters buys Cang Shu lunch and gives her care packages.
- Goofy Suit: The school mascot involves a goofy-looking giraffe suit.
- Gossipy Hens: The female students prattle on about all kinds of rumors throughout the series, from Cang Shu and Cui Xin's secret relationship to the "tragic suicide" happened in class A.
- Hair-Contrast Duo: Both the main and side couple feature this trope: Cang Shu and Wang Hang are black-haired, while Qi Lin and Cui Xin have fair hair.
- Hidden Depths: The air-headed, hyperactive Qi Lin turns out to be very good at playing piano. She once got gold medal in a national piano competition, and can play "La Campanella", a piece renowned for its difficulty, flawlessly after not touching the piano for a year.
- Hot Springs Episode: In one chapter, Qi Lin and Cang Shu has to go to a public bathhouse since their dorm's bathroom was out of service.
- Ice Queen: Cang Shu fits this archetype to a T with her dispassionate demeanor and top grades.Female Student: Such an ice beauty!
- Intelligence Equals Isolation: Invoked. Cang Shu never bothered to make friends because she thought it would affect her studies. This bites her in the ass when she needs to pick a name of someone she is going to pretend to be attracted to so she can get her classmates off her back.
- Invited as a Joke: Bai Lian, an old classmate of Cang Shu pretended to befriend her and invited Cang Shu to her birthday. When Cang Shu came, she was greeted with firecrackers instead. Turns out Bai Lian never intended to become her friend and just wanted to see her being miserable.
- Knew It All Along: Cang Shu figured Qi Lin was the mascot when she fell down the stairs and her hair poked out.
- Lethal Chef: Cang Shu cannot cook. At all.
- Little Miss Snarker: Du Mian is a tiny twelve-year-old girl wearing a bunny backpack on her back and bows on her head. She also has the foulest mouth in the main cast, with Luo Yi Si being the only one who can counter her.
- Lovable Alpha Bitch: Luo Yi Si starts out as a vain, bossy girl who only cares about becoming popular. She becomes a better, more agreeable person later (albeit still a little haughty), and even joins the protagonists' friend group on occasion.
- Luminescent Blush: Qi Lin sports a big one across her face when she gives Cang Shu a milk box on the bus home.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": When Cang Shu tells her classmates she’s interested in Qi Lin, her classmates and an accidentally eavesdropping Qi Lin (who even does a Spit Take) let loose a Big "WHAT?!" and are very surprised.
- Mistaken for Romance: Chapter 1 begins with numerous schoolgirls gossiping that Cang Shu and Cui Xin are secretly a couple, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
- Montage: After being asked by Cang Shu, Qi Lin goes around observing female friendships in Chapter 4 and writing them down in an accidentally creepy manner.
- My Beloved Smother: Cang Shu's mom was highly protective of her, even going as far as stopping her from making friends at school so she can focus on her study. Luckily, she grows less controlling after meeting Qi Lin and see how happy her daughter is.
- NO INDOOR VOICE: When Qi Lin comes to Cang Shu’s class she makes both her presence and motive completely obvious.Qi Lin: CANG SHU!! I’m here to hang out with you!
- No Sense of Personal Space: Qi Lin and Wang Hang tend to invade other people's personal space, mostly Cang Shu (for Qi Lin) and Cui Xin's (for Wang Hang).
- No Social Skills:
- Qi Lin runs to Cang Shu’s class and yells for her new friend, spies on two girls in the bathroom, spies on two girls in the cafeteria, and spies on Cang Shu tutoring another student ...
- Du Mian is a foul-mouthed girl with a bad temper and a knack for pissing off other people. She doesn't mean ill, but is simply too anxious about talking to people and snap at people as a defense mechanism. This doesn't excuse her behavior, as Ms. Lu notes.
- Odd Couple:
- Qi Lin is athletic, air-headed, and cheerful whereas Cang Shu is out of shape, smart, and reserved.
- Cui Xin is a perfect student with good grades, a handsome face and a gentle personality, while Wang Hang is a tactless Dumb Jock.
- Oh, Crap!: In Chapter 4, Cang Shu is floored to see Qi Lin coming her to her class and causing such a fuss.
- One of the Boys: Qi Lin hung out almost exclusively with boys before meeting Cang Shu. Yu Nan Zui's flashback shows that none of her male friends saw her as a potential romantic interest, and instead consider her, well, one of the boys. They were flabbergasted when Nan Zui scolded them for having physical contact with her, seemingly not understanding the problem with Qi Lin being a girl.
- Opposites Attract: Most of the (potential) pairings in the series share this dynamic.
- Cang Shu and Qi Lin. One of them is a mature top student, one of the most popular person in the school. The other is a hyperactive and athletic girl, ranking first from bottom to top.
- Similarly, Cui Xin and Wang Hang. Cui Xin is level-headed, smart and understanding Bishounen, while Wang Hang is a simple-minded athlete. Granted, his face is nice-looking and he has a good body, but his Innocently Insensitive behavior makes girls reluctant to pursue him romantically.
- Ms. Lu — a Stern Teacher in charge of academic affairs — and Mr. Zheng — a boisterous gym teacher, while not appear often together, seem to have a fairly good relationship. Mr. Zheng has a fairly obvious crush on Ms. Lu, though she doesn't seem to notice it. Their hair color is also blue and red respectively.
- Parental Neglect: Qi Lin's family is neglectful at best and abusive at its worse. She was victim of misogyny and domestic abuse since a young age, which damage her self-esteem to the point that she believes herself to be of no worth and doesn't deserve to be Cang Shu's friend.
- Parents as People: Most of the parents in the series are good but flawed people.
- Cang Shu's mother is a strict, overbearing mother who cares a little too much about her daughter's grades. She's also a struggling mother trying to give her daughter the best care she can have. Her busy work plus the pressure of having to care for a child alone makes her incredibly high-strung. She becomes less restricting after Cang Shu insists on protecting Qi Lin as her friend, understanding that her daughter has grown and needs her own freedom.
- Qi Lin's mother is a feeble, stressed housewife with a promiscuous husband and a "useless" daughter. She often lashed out in Qi Lin when she failed to fulfill her expectations and wished that she's had a son instead. After her divorce, she drowns herself in alcohol and stops taking care of herself as well as her daughter altogether. Cang Shu and her mother have to step in to help her recover from depression. Thanks to them, she realizes her misdeeds and makes an effort to become a good mother to Qi Lin.
- Cui Xin's mom is enraged that her son has been crossdressing for three years, but she worries for him more than anything and sincerely wishes that he would be safe from insults. Later, when his friends encourage him to dance with them, his parents stand in the crowd, looking at him with approval.
- Photographic Memory: Cang Shu is able to perfectly remember every one of Qi Lin’s grades after seemingly a brief glance.Cang Shu: It’s true. You can go ask around. Qi Lin was the one who got a 4/150 for maths, 11/150 for literature, 19/150 for English, and a total mark of 100 with humanities and science combined for the entrance exam.
- Puppy-Dog Eyes: Qi Lin's sparkling eyes is one of the reason why Cang Shu decided to stay as her friend. She pulls this almost every chapter where she's with Cang Shu. At one point, when told to display an expression Cang Shu can't resist, they both put on expectant puppy eyes.
- Rage Breaking Point: Cang Shu, in her own way crosses this repeatedly being annoyed by Qi Lin’s hijinks.
- Reformed Bully: Luo Min Jie was a mini-Alpha Bitch with her own Girl Posse early in the series, though she didn't do anything much beside badmouthing people. When Du Mian transfers to Ying Cai, they have a conflict and Luo Min Jie becomes a full-fledged bully to Du Mian. Her day as a bully doesn't last long, however: Qi Lin steps in before she can torment Du Mian further, and she soon becomes the new victim. Luo Min Jie got Put on a Bus after Du Mian apologizes to her, ending the conflict between them. The next time she appears, she has become a fanfic writer and has a fairly friendly relationship with the main characters.
- The Reveal: We learn that is was actually Qi Lin who was the mascot but you would have had to start reading from the chapter to be surprised by this.
- Rom Com: With an emphasis on the “Com”. This is a comedy about two girls meeting, becoming friends then eventually becoming more.
- School Play: A Gender Flip version of Butterfly Lovers, directed by Lu Yi Si.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: When caught red-handed by Cang Shu, the mascot attempts to flee.
- Shipper on Deck: Cui Xin is secretly a fanatic Qi Lin and Cang Shu shipper and wishes for their happiness. The girls later turn out to care just as much about his relationship with Wang Hang as he does to theirs.
- Many side characters also support Qi Lin and Cang Shu's relationship, such as Du Mian and Luo Minjie, who even write fanfic about them.
- Staying Together for the Kids: Qi Lin's parents have been in discord for a long time, but they still wait until she's in high school before getting a divorce. They hide this from Qi Lin in fear of affecting her grades, to which she comments that they're either lying, or they Doesn't Know Their Own Child at all.Qi Lin: Marriage is their own matter. They can make the decision by themselves. I wonder why they only split after so long when they haven't had feelings for each other since a long time ago.
- Stay in the Kitchen: Qi Lin's family (especially her grandfather) is heavily prejudiced. The grandparents pressure their daughter-in-laws to have a grandson all while neglecting or downright abusing the granddaughters they have, considering them an accessory at best. Despite Qi Lin's talent at playing piano, she's still considered a useless child in the family. What's worse, neither of her parents defend her either: her father constantly belittles her to save face, while her mother is too reluctant to step up even for herself.
- Super Window Jump:
- This is what the mascot tries to do before Cang Shu stops it.
- Later, Luo Min Jie tries to do the same when Cang Shu and Qi Lin find out about her fanfic.
- Surprise Party: In one chapter, Qi Lin keeps avoiding Cang Shu, making the latter think that she doesn't want to be friends anymore. Turns out Qi Lin and the others are pulling a surprise birthday party for Cang Shu, and they're trying to keep it a secret from her.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: Cang Shu definitely does not care about Qi Lin’s grades whatsoever. Nor is Cui Xin jealous of the girls around Wang Hang.
- Teachers Out of School: The main characters encounter Ms. Lu in a comic exhibition. She tries to cover it up by claiming it's to better understand her students. It fails miserably.Ms. Lu: Listen carefully! I'm not doing this for my own desires. This is all for the sake of closing the gaps between my students and I— Wait, that is!!! Kyoko-chan has started dancing to "Gokuraku Joudo"?!
- There Is Only One Bed: The four main characters have to stay a night in a hotel because they can't return to the dorm before curfew. Cang Shu and Qi Lin's room has two single beds, but Wang Hang and Cui Xin's is decorated like a love hotel, with only one big pink bed in the room. note
- The Show Must Go Wrong: First an important actor broke his bones, then the one playing the mountain trips and falls over right in the middle of the show. The comedic timing plus
Cang Shu's quick reaction help them deliver a completely different, spontaneous ending, successfully convincing the audience that it was intentional. - Tranquil Fury: Cang Shu starts off Chapter 5 rather cross at Qi Lin for her actions last chapter.
- Wall Pin of Love:
- This is what Qi Lin thinks Cang Shu is doing to her at the end of Chapter 4.Qi Lin: Um…I think this is the first time you took the initiative to find…
- In chapter 9.5, turns out Cui Xin did a similar thing to Wang Hang while spying on the two girls.
- In chapter 81, Cui Xin finds out that Wang Hang stood up on him to accompany a girl into a KTV. Wang Hang, trying to explain, grab his hands and pins him on the wall.
- This is what Qi Lin thinks Cang Shu is doing to her at the end of Chapter 4.
- Wanted a Gender-Conforming Child:
- Qi Lin's family is displeased that she's unladylike, saying that she should try to be more feminine and stop participating in competitions or playing sports.
- Downplayed with Cui Xin's parents. They are disappointed at him when they find out his crossdressing hobby, but they worry for him more than anything now that he's being insulted everywhere.
- A young 14-year-old boy fan of Kyoko finds himself in a highly heteronormative family. He's abused by his family for displaying interest in feminine clothing, even got his head shaved to make him appear more manly. The abuse got so serious that he contemplated committing suicide to escape from it.14-year-old fan: My mom said if I let others know I'm "abnormal", she'll die with me. Dad would beat me whenever he got drunk. He always shouted that he'd cure my illness.
- Weight Woe: Played for Drama. After being approached by a plastic surgery salesman, Jian Feng Feng becomes insecure about her body. Believing she should lose weight in order to become more attractive, she starts a diet that includes exclusively weight loss supplements. Her friends, worried about her condition, try to intervene and convince her that she's fine as she is. Thanks to their support, she regains confidence in herself and takes steps to become healthier.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Cui Xin's secret identity is Kyoko, an Internet celebrity. He keeps this a secret from everyone, excluding Jian Feng Feng, who was involved since the beginning. Qi Lin and Cang Shu only learn of this after accidentally stumbling into him mid-changing in an exhibition. It's Played for Drama later. His secret eventually get busted and causes great backlash, especially from his fans, who considered his action a betrayal of their trust. It got so serious to the point he almost deleted his account. Fortunately, many people still support him, and he finally decides to continue being a dancer as Cui Xin.
- Win Her a Prize: Qi Lin offers to catch Cang Shu a plushie while they're on a date. Cang Shu, seeing the mountain of plushies Qi Lin already won, gently turns the offer down.
- Yuri: This series is about two schoolgirls becoming best friends and eventually experiencing a Relationship Upgrade.
- Yuri Fan: Cui Xin is elated at the thought of two girls getting together and is the biggest Shipper on Deck for the main duo.
